Advice needed for career switch from computer science to quant

Hello everyone, a newbie to finance here needs your advice. Is it possible for a computer science Ph.D. to find a quant job? If possible, what should I do to achieve the transformation?

A bit about myself: I have been doing statistical data analysis and machine learning throughout my Ph.D. and my current job (academic research; not on financial data). I am considering a career switch to finance mainly due to the accelerating development of finance industry in Asia. I want to join the trend.

Right now, I am reading the book Options, Futures and Other Derivatives by John Hull. And I practiced option/stock hedge (program trading) using the historical data from SGX (Singapore Exchange). Do I need to get CFA before applying for quant jobs? And is anyone happened to be familiar with the quant job market in Singapore? Any advice will be really appreciated.

Thanks a lot!

3 Comments
 

If you went to a decent school you just need to apply to whatever's out there. You'll probably have more luck with quant dev roles. If you prove you have good market knowledge you can move into research, and if you prove you have good math skills then you can move into a pricing group. Good luck.

 

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